


and it remains

by neezhnies



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-03-04
Packaged: 2018-01-14 12:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1266805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neezhnies/pseuds/neezhnies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s something distinctly wrong. The cards in his hand are shaking so hard he can barely see them. His breath is short and Aichi is sending him worried looks across the fight table, his mouth pressed into a concerned frown.<br/> </p><p>“Are you alright, Kamui-kun? It’s your turn.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	and it remains

**Author's Note:**

> content warning for eye horror/trauma
> 
> this fic was based on the idea that kamui's units had started manifesting in real life o/ though only he can see them 
> 
> cross posted on [tumblr](http://cryokinesis.tumblr.com/post/78516574089/so-rollu-had-this-great-idea-of-hey-what-if-one-of)

There’s something distinctly wrong. The cards in his hand are shaking so hard he can barely see them. His breath is short and Aichi is sending him worried looks across the fight table, his mouth pressed into a concerned frown.

“Are you alright, Kamui-kun? It’s your turn.”

It is his turn, isn’t it? He draws, fumbling with his cards to the point of almost dropping them all over the floor. There’s a little gallop in his stomach when he looks at his hand, at the bright, bright colors of his clan. His clan that he loves so deeply and wouldn’t give up for the world. His clan that loves him, too. So much so that it’s almost suffocating.

His fingers slide over the shiny cardboard and he rides with little fanfare, completely forgoing his usual chant. Asura Kaiser stares up at him from the vanguard circle and, when he glances up, it stares at him from over Aichi’s head.

Kamui blinks, feeling his pulse pounding behind his eyes. There’s a distinct hitch in his breath and he chokes out a high sound that kills his pride but he doesn’t care, he doesn’t care. It had been months, but the unit never interacted with his friends. Never, not once, because it knew how important they were to him. It would never hurt them, it wouldn’t.

One long arm settles on Aichi’s shoulder, snaking down his chest. Another plants itself on his head, a short blade dangerously close to his precious brother’s eye. There’s another arm, unseen under the table, which locks around Aichi’s legs.

Aichi does not move, simply frowns. He’s always had a sixth sense for these sorts of things, Kamui knows, and he can feel that something is wrong, that there is weight in the air that hadn’t previously been there.

Kamui breathes, nice and deep, filling his lungs with air that feels sticky. Goes through the motions. Attacks, twin drive checks, stands plus five thousand.He’s sitting at three damage and Aichi is newly at five.

He clumsily paws at his forehead, maybe hoping to wipe the sweat away. Maybe to hide just how pale he’s gotten in the past couple of minutes. There’s cement in his lungs, sharp growing pains in his legs.

“Are you feeling okay, Kamui-kun? You don’t – “ He stops, stares wide eyed across the table. He’s realized, it seems. Can feel the weight of the mechanical arms on his body even if he can’t see them. Kamui watches as the older boy’s knees start to buckle, but he can’t fully collapse, suspended between mechanical arms.

Aichi mouths at Kamui furiously, trying to convey some sort of sudden realization to the boy because this is why, this must be why his junior was acting so strangely before. Why he looks so pale. Someone else has to notice, right? There are plenty of people in the shop. One of them has to notice that they’re not moving, not speaking. Have to notice the way Kamui looks like he’s going to faint or the way Aichi is slowly, ever so slowly bowing forward. Aichi’s cards flutter to the floor when he tries to gesture but the weight makes it impossible to straighten his spine and his forehead is dangerously close to connecting with the table. 

There’s a short, horrifying moment when Kamui realizes that the knife is still in front of his brother’s face. That it is balanced against the fight table and providing more than enough leverage. He reacts, tries to move but that little space between them is infinite and Aichi is already screaming.

His vanguard, oh god it’s his, unwinds itself from the boy and Aichi’s head flies backwards when the weight is released. His hands are scrambling at his face, but he can’t find any purchase. There’s nothing for him to grasp even though there’s most certainly something lodged in his eye. Kamui can see it, Aichi can feel it.

He’s screaming high and tight, drawing the attention of everyone in the shop. Misaki is the first to reach him, coming around the counter faster than Kamui has ever seen her move. She reaches for Aichi’s shoulder and he flinches away violently, slamming down to his knees.

He sucks in sharply, throwing his cards down. A stiffness in his legs makes it difficult to walk, but he manages to drag himself over, kneeling down beside Miwa. 

“Aichi, come on, Aichi-”

Miwa has the boy’s face in his hands, trying to coax him into speaking, to stop screaming, please Aichi, stop screaming, what’s wrong? Aichi just wails harder, one hand buried in his eye and clawing furiously. His hand simply passes through the knife, doing absolutely nothing to deter it. Kamui feels his gut turn over, feels the blood drain from his face, feels the cold presence of Asura Kaiser behind him. 

Other kids are crowding around them, tittering nervously. Shin tries to herd them out of the store and is mostly successful. No one really wants to stay in an overcrowded shop that does nothing but make the screaming seem even louder.

Kamui can hear Misaki speaking frantically into the phone, but it’s a low hum compared to the buzzing in his head. Miwa is still chanting a litany of “it’s okay, come on” that does little to settle anyone’s nerves and, if anything, only seems to distress Aichi more. Because something is wrong, so terribly wrong, can’t anyone see that? Can’t anyone see what he can most certainly feel? There is something there, it is very, very real and it hurts. He hurts. 

When Kamui shifts a little, legs going numb, Aichi’s head snaps up. His hand is still over his eye and there’s blood trailing down his cheek, over his lips, in his mouth. Only one eye is visible and it’s terribly wide and unfocused, so filled with tears that Kamui isn’t quite sure he can see. 

He can and he reaches forward, grabbing the younger boy’s shoulder with a red, tacky hand. Every time he opens his mouth, there’s a flash of stained white that almost disconcerts Kamui more than the handle jutting from his face does. 

By now, he’s stopped screaming. Instead, he’s panting hard, pulling air in through his mouth, chest expanding wildly. Still hurting. He’s mouthing something and Kamui leans in close to hear, Miwa moving aside so he can search for something to mop the blood up with. The grip on Kamui’s shoulder becomes crushing and Aichi breathes hard into his ear, “Are you okay?”

There’s something about the concern that is just so Aichi that he can’t help but laugh. He laughs and doesn’t stop, shoulders shaking, tears in his eyes. The knife is still there and he’s laughing, deep from his gut. He’s laughing, holding Aichi up when the boy faints from apparent relief. He’s laughing when sirens sound outside and Aichi is taken from him. His fingers are numb.

He’s still laughing when he feels arms around him that are too strong and too broad to belong to anyone in the shop. He laughs harder when they do not leave him, even when he stands and wobbles out to the van so they can speed to the hospital. The trip is quiet, aside from his wheezing snorts and he feels many eyes watching him from the rearview mirror. Sees the glint of metal there.

He only stops laughing when they’re settled in the waiting room and the weight leaves him to disappear down the hall to room 707.

Then he cries.


End file.
